I've been raising a 6 year old child for 5 years now the father who hadn't seen the child since age 1 filed for custody

Hire a lawyer as soon as possible. You should gain conservatorship and support.

How can one sign a power of attorney (durable or medical) if they cannot sign their name?

If she has Alzheimer's then she is probably not competent. You will need to obtain a guardianship of her.

Can someone explain what a "life estate" is?

You need to consult an attorney to review your rights and duties.

You can combine the Answer and CounterPetition. It would be wise to hire an attorney to be sure you include all the required things.

What's first steps to Get paper work filed for mediation in Dallas,texas?

Consider hiring an attorney to guide you.

My daughter is pregnant. she just turned 17 if the baby was conceived when she was 16 who has legal authority over the pregnancy

Consult with an attorney near you, and take your daughter with you.

I need a family law layer as soon as possible. I need a temporary restraining order and prep for modification of custody.

Use the search function on this site to find an attorney near you. Hire one.

Do I need a lawyer?

You need a lawyer to help with step parent adoption.

Trying to change my sons last name to my maiden name without the fathers approval

You should hire an attorney to help. You will have to serve the father. He doesn't have to agree. If he fights it, you'll have to have a judge...

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If something happened to my husband while he is deployed, would I be able to keep custody of his two boys?

You and your husband need to sit down with an attorney. Step parent adoption might be appropriate, or there may be many other options.